by M. L. Ryan
With the itinerary set, we moved on to figuring out how to search for Keem without being discovered. This seemed like a no-brainer to me. Obviously, I had to be part of the search party for the egg-magnet idea to be successful. In addition, we knew two things about our Dekankaran nemesis: he couldn’t detect Ulut in dog form and wasn’t aware that I was Yterixa. This meant if I flew around in hawk-form with the stone, I should be able to recognize Keem without him recognizing me.
Alex and Sebastian admitted my reasoning was sound, however they weren’t thrilled with any scenario where I soared around alone. Unfortunately, neither was capable of keeping up with me, and it would waste too much time if I had to keep landing to wait for them to catch up. The only sensible plan, in my opinion, was for Rufus to accompany me, with Alex and Sebastian trailing behind for backup. As expected, Alex balked at that arrangement, but Sebastian wasn’t sold on it either.
“You have to be able to communicate with your partner,” Sebastian explained. “We know you can transmit thoughts to people while you are in bird-form, but Rufus didn’t seem to have the same ability. We will have to see if you two can communicate with one another as animals.”
“Let’s give it a go,” I urged.
Alex put up his hands to slow down my enthusiasm. “There’s more to it than that, carisa. Ulut, do you know if you can transform into Rufus here?”
“I’m not sure, but even if I can’t do it by myself, perhaps one of you can give me a boost.”
Sebastian tapped his chin. “We need to test both issues, and we need to do it now. We are running out of time. You,” he ordered, pointing at Ulut, “transform.”
Without hesitation, Ulut closed his eyes and I felt the tingling of magical energy as it wafted off him. His face reddened as he strained to complete the transformation, but he didn’t shift form. Sebastian flicked his hand a couple of times, in what I assumed were attempts to help, but Ulut was still Ulut.
Frustrated at the lack of success, I added my two-cents to the process and concentrated on magically poking Ulut in the arm. I figured that technique got him to go from dog to guy, so it might just work the other way around. It took a few tries, and Sebastian’s continued ministrations, but eventually Ulut’s flesh began to ripple and sort of melted back into Rufus.
His transformation was different from Hewlyxnathin’s and mine. Whereas Yterixa form-bends were more or less instantaneous, Ulut’s bones and skin stretched and contracted to create the animal form. Despite the lack of cries of distress, it looked excruciating. When the shift was complete, Rufus wagged his tail. He seemed no worse for wear, and I hoped his transformation was just painful to watch.
Sebastian wasted no time admiring our work. “Now you,” he directed to me. I considered removing my shirt and jeans before I shifted, but stripping down in front of everyone seemed like a worse option than not having anything to put on after, even though when I really thought about it, everyone had already seen me naked at one time or another. I just slipped off my shoes and imagined forming wings and feathers. Seconds later, there I was, winged and feathered. I used my talons to root through the pile of fabric next to me and noted happily that my clothes appeared largely intact.
“Now that you have ascertained the condition of your wardrobe, can we continue?” Sebastian sniped.
I pushed my own mocking thoughts outward. “Hey, I get cold if there’s nothing to put on after I change back.”
Rufus stood up and wagged his tail, but I didn’t hear anything from him. I hopped over to him and projected, “Can you hear me?” He responded with an enthusiastic yip and more wagging. “Alright, I can talk to him, at least.”
Alex pursed his lips. “Maybe, but to be certain, ask him to do something specific.”
“Rufus, sit down and roll over, please.”
And he did.
“Now try to project your thoughts out to us,” Alex instructed.
His doggy face kind of scrunched up, and at first all I heard was Alex commenting that this wasn’t going to work. But there was something else in the background, so I told Alex to be quiet for a minute. It was difficult to make out, but I definitely caught a few, wispy sounds. “Try to think louder,” I coaxed.
“I’m doing the best I can.”
“Hot damn, I can hear him!” I flapped my wings a little to emphasize my glee.
Sebastian frowned. “I only heard Hailey.”
“Me as well,” Alex concurred.
Rufus’ thought-voice wasn’t the loudest, but they should have heard something. “Are you sure about that? Do it again, Rufus, but concentrate on sending the words to Alex and Sebastian this time.”
His pointy ears rose high on his head as he contemplated the task. “How’s this? Can you hear me now?”
I certainly could, but everyone else in the room had blank expressions. “Damn, I can hear him just fine.”
“As long as you two can communicate,” Sebastian noted, “that is not necessarily a negative. If we can’t hear him, perhaps Keem won’t be able to either. If you limit your outgoing thoughts, my dear, we may have the perfect surveillance team.”
This was one of those times when I wished I could select the recipient of my wordless communication. Based on the scowl on Alex’s face, he clearly wasn’t pleased with this new turn of events, but I didn’t want to share what I wanted to say with the rest of the room. Instead, I fluttered up to perch on his shoulder and rubbed my head against his cheek. I hoped he understood my meaning: that I understood his reservations, everything would be okay, and I loved him more than anything in this world, as well as the two others about which we currently knew. Whether he got all that was unclear, but at least he stopped glowering.
The only detail that required a bit of trial and error was how I might carry the egg. We tried placing it in a tiny fabric bag that hung around my neck but the damn thing kept hitting me in the chest when I flew. Holding it in my talons eliminated the bothersome breast thumping of the first idea, but was impractical as I could only use one foot to perch. After a bit of tinkering, Cortez came up with a modified wristband in which the egg was attached. I liked that it didn’t hinder my mobility—or annoy the crap out of me—and it made me feel like Wonder Woman.
All that remained was gorging myself with some poor rodent who gave its life to the cause. If I was going to make a habit of changing into a bird of prey, I really had to get over my human squeamishness over killing my food. Admittedly, it bothered me less and less, but having pangs of guilt during mealtime wasn’t something I enjoyed, particularly when my bird brain was savoring every delicious morsel.
The four of us made it to the Courso version of the Idaho site using the marqizobaz system. I opted not to change back into human form, worried the transition might tire me out too much to complete the mission at hand. Even though Rufus had successfully traveled via intra-dimensional means when we first arrived in Courso, Alex and Sebastian weren’t positive I’d be able to do so as a bird. Happily, I sailed through with the added bonus of inducing significantly less nausea than when human. We decided, given the difficulties in helping Ulut to become Rufus, that he would remain doggie until our mission was over.
I flew a grid pattern over a twenty-mile area. I never felt anything from the egg, but even if Keem wasn’t around, it gave us a chance to work out any kinks in our system. The biggest problem was Rufus had a hard time staying with me on foot, so instead of trying to follow my route exactly, he intercepted my path at predetermined points where we checked in with each other. We also had to experiment with how far away Alex and Sebastian could be and still hear me. My non-verbal transmitting didn’t cover as much ground as we’d hoped, but my loud hawk squawk could be detected from a distance that kept them far enough away to prevent Keem from knowing they were around. I couldn’t have a conversation with them, but at least in an emergency there was a way to let them know I needed help.
The next two stops also yielded no signs of Keem. I was starting to wonder if our plan was d
oomed to fail, but Sebastian pointed out, “One always finds what one is looking for in the last place one searches.”
“No kidding. Once you find whatever you’re looking for, you stop looking.”
With a chuckle, he said, “I know, but I couldn’t think of any other platitude to keep up your spirits.”
My disposition was in need of a boost. Even after snacking on some raw meat Alex brought along, I was exhausted and we were running out of time. To make matters worse, the damn rain made every place we searched cold, wet, and muddy. The conditions didn’t bother me much, but it made the arduous task much more difficult for everyone else. By the time we arrived in Courso-Iowa, there were only a few hours left until the deadline.
Flying back and forth through the unrelenting deluge, it was difficult to see Ulut, as he was caked with mud and blended into the surroundings. Without my ability to detect even the smallest of movements, keeping visual contact would have been a complete pain in the ass. As it was, I had to really focus on what I was doing because every time some tasty morsel skittered out from the underbrush, my mounting hunger distracted me.
“I wonder if all hawks have ADHD,” I projected down to Ulut as we took a short break. He was hunkered under a thick bush, trying to stay out of the rain, while I perched nearby on a low branch of an Oak tree.
“Probably an advantageous quality for a predator,” he remarked, shaking his body to flip off some of the water from his fur. “But that probably means you should eat again.”
I knew he was right. The longer I stayed feathered, not only did I need to feed more often, but my bird-nature was more difficult to control. Unfortunately, Alex and Sebastian—and the munchies they carried—would take fifteen minutes to get to our current position, and I didn’t want to waste that much time sitting in one place. “I’ll be fine, let’s get going.”
I took off and resumed our search pattern, but after a few minutes, regretted not taking Ulut up on the offer of food. I swung out of my grid, wanting to ask if he could snag some critter so I wouldn’t have to take the time to hunt for myself. As I flew directly above Ulut, I noted a tingling in the air, and while it seemed familiar, couldn’t quite place it. “Hey, you feel anything… odd?”
Ulut slowed to a trot beneath me and sniffed. “Not really? Is it the egg?”
As I explained the mild prickly sensation, it finally hit me. “Praseodymium.”
“What?” he asked, slowing to a complete stop and looking up.
“Praseodymium,” I said excitedly and shot off in the direction from where it seemed to be stronger. It didn’t take long to find the epicenter of the energy, a small, thickly wooded area about a mile from where I originally felt the disturbance.
That’s weird, I thought as I circled the spot. I don’t see anything unusual down there. Ulut sprinted into view, and I dropped lower. It was challenging navigating through the many trees, and my focus was on not splatting into a trunk rather than anything else. At some point, however, I realized the stone was vibrating.
“Ulut,” I mentally whispered, “he’s here.”
25
I had no clue where, but I knew Keem was nearby. Ulut stayed put while I flew over to Alex and Sebastian to give them the news. If I had any doubts about the egg-o-meter, they were put to rest when the vibrations became less and less the farther I got from ground zero and revved up again when I flew back. It only took Alex and Sebastian a few minutes to join us. They had to have run the whole way.
Unfortunately, two new sets of eyes did little to help ascertain where the Dekankaran was hiding. I was fairly certain he didn’t know we were in the vicinity, or at least that he hadn’t bolted as the stone continued to pulse at the maximum rate.
Sebastian scratched his head. “Perhaps Keem has implemented a method similar to how we obscured the command vehicle in North Carolina.”
“If so, he did a great job,” Alex remarked, surveying the area. “There isn’t even a ripple of magic around. Then again, there’s enough praseodymium to completely screw up anyone’s sense of preternatural waves.”
I leapt to Alex’s shoulder from the branch where I was perched. “Clever of Keem to add the one element that tamps down arcane power.”
Sebastian contemplated my assertion. “Yes and no. Let us hope it diminishes him as well.” His last few words were spoken more slowly and trailed off at the end. “Unless the praseodymium is only on the outside of his lair.” With newfound enthusiasm, he moved in small circles and placed his palms against the air much like a mime might. “Hailey, where exactly are the oscillations most intense?”
“About a yard north of where you are standing,” I directed. Sebastian used his boot to dig into the wet soil above the spot. When he’d made a small trench about four inches deep and a foot long, he called out to Alex to come have a look.
Still latched onto Alex’s shoulder, I got a chance to take a peek as well. On one side of the furrow, rainwater spilled inside and created a little pond like you’d expect in a hole on a rainy day. On the other side, however, water barely trickled around the sides and didn’t fill the space.
“Fascinating,” Alex opined and began to extend the ditch using his foot. His efforts made it difficult for me to remain where I was, so I hopped onto the ground while he dug. When it was another yard longer, Alex stepped back from his work.
I peered into the narrow rill. The expanded length made it easier to see a clear line of demarcation lengthwise where water pooled and where water did not.
“What the hell is that?” Ulut asked me telepathically as he also checked out the odd sight.
I repeated the question so the others could hear it. Sebastian looked up and grinned. “I believe this is the edge of Keem’s refuge. You were right, my dear. It is quite clever to construct an underground den, particularly in a spot where the natural praseodymium levels are high. If not for the egg and my impeccable prowess in the art of deduction, this is easily overlooked.”
“So he basically buried himself?” Even in a long list of Keem’s oddities, this seemed really strange.
“Not exactly,” Sebastian replied. “But I believe he constructed some sort of underground structure. According to the stone, he should be inside.” He scanned the immediate area. “How we get in is a mystery, I’m afraid.”
Alex toed the dirt around the trench. “Perhaps we can lure him out?” I listened as he and Sebastian argued the advantages to us going in versus him coming out, and there didn’t seem to be an obvious choice. I started to ask if either thought Keem knew we were out here, when my question was answered by the faintest scent of burnt hair. At first, I wasn’t sure that was what it was, as my sense of smell in bird-form was not up to snuff. Or sniff, in this case. I paused to inhale more deeply, and that momentary hesitation cost me. I barely had time to thrust out a frenzied, “Watch out!” when I was sucked into the earth.
At least, that was how it felt. In reality, I wasn’t sure what the hell happened other than there was a sense of being pulled downward, followed by an odd sound, sort of like when the water finally gets pulled down through a clogged drain. Before I had a chance to process that, I realized I wasn’t outside anymore. The plain concrete walls and floor were, unfortunately, familiar. That, plus the wrenching ache in my skull, led me to one unpleasant conclusion: I must be back in Dekankara. Fuck. Me.
As I attempted to pull myself together, I heard multiple groans to my left. Sprawled a few feet away were Alex and Sebastian. They looked disoriented and in a lot of pain. Ulut was behind them, lying motionless. At least he was breathing. I considered trying to change back into me, reasoning the shift might take away my colossal headache, but it was impossible to focus enough to affect the change.
Sebastian was the first to pull himself into a sitting position. His complexion was unusually pale, but his expression was determined rather than sickly. He surveyed the group. “Is everyone alright?”
Rolling onto his back, Alex mumbled, “My head feels as though it has been
through a vise.” He stared up at tall ceiling. “Where are we?”
It took a lot more energy than usual to project my thoughts, but I managed, “I think this is the warehouse I was held in when I was kidnapped.” It looked exactly the same, including the sunlight-drenched skylights. Since it had been raining outside, I wasn’t sure if that meant we had been transported someplace else, or if Keem just liked the appearance of natural light and had rigged up something to make it seem more homey.
“My, my. What an interesting group of intruders.”
Keem stepped into the room and the stone egg strapped to my leg, which had been vibrating at the same beat since it started thumping, began to pulse at a faster pace. He was dressed in his usual head-to-toe black, and he had the same self-satisfied grin he’d assumed in my dreams. Stopping directly in front of Alex and Sebastian, he crossed his arms and sized up the Xyzok.
“You must be the famous Prince Aldegrexynthor and his mentor, Sebastian Kess.”
I was surprised Keem used Alex’s real name; I didn’t recall anyone ever using it. But knowing him, he probably thought it made him seem more in the know to use Alex’s official title.
Alex slowly sat up, and he and Sebastian glared up at the Dekankaran. “You must be the asshole who thinks he can take over Courso,” Alex spat.
Keem’s smile broadened. “I don’t just think I can take over.”
